If a career as an interior decorator is your dream, you may be discouraged by the fact that you’ll need to balance your family priorities at the same time. While we completely understand where you’re coming from (being a parent is a full-time job!), there are ways of juggling your career and your kids that are totally manageable. You really can have it all!
We’re going to be honest, though – bring an interior decorator will take up a lot of your time, and it’s challenging work! But it’s a seriously rewarding career, as well.
Read on for some great advice on how to balance your family and career!
Time management is key
Interior decorating is a full-time job, but so is parenting! If you’re serious about your career, however, you’ll need to find ways of working around your responsibilities as a parent in order to be successful. And no, this doesn’t make you a bad parent – we know it’s your first priority, but you also need to fulfill your professional goals!
So how do you balance this? We’ll be frank here – you need to be okay with not always making it to every school function and missing some family dinners in the evening. These sacrifices are really worth thinking about before making the decision to pursue a career as an interior decorator, as you don’t want to pursue a demanding role that ultimately won’t make you happy. In addition to not always being present at your kids’ functions, you also have to be ready for any last-minute gigs that pop up. We’re sure that you’re not keen on missing out on family time, but you can put a schedule in place that will make sure you see your family as much as possible while still achieving success as an interior decorator.
It all comes down to time management, which means setting aside equal time for your family and your work, and trying to give each your undivided attention. Make weekly schedules and adjust them as you go, which will allow you to accommodate family priorities as well as clients! Managing your family’s expectations is very important – they can’t expect you to be available all the time if you’re also working. Make sure they’re not disappointed by being open about your career goals and how they will affect family time.
Speaking of time, it really is of the essence in this career…
Make the most of your time
It’s important to be flexible in your interior decorating career, as this lets clients know that you can accommodate their needs and desires. However, if you’re a full-time parent, your own time is extremely valuable!
The good news about interior decorating is that there will always be opportunities to accept jobs during the hours that your kids are in school, and many design professionals find this incredibly helpful in balancing their families and careers. Keep in mind that this career isn’t necessarily a 9-5 one, so you won’t have the luxury of enjoying every single evening with your kids. However, if you take on more daytime interior decorating jobs and make the most of your time on the weekends, you’ll have a much better chance of eating dinner with your family and spending more quality time with them.
Be picky (but not too picky)
When you first start your career as an interior decorator, you’re going to want to take on all the jobs you can. After all, you need to build your clientele and brand, and you’ll want to enjoy a steady income! But once you’ve attained a solid client base and know the kind of spaces you like to work with, you can be a little bit particular about the clients you take on. Choosing which clients you want to take on as an interior decorator is the best way to make sure you have time for your kids and other family priorities, and it allows you to narrow down your field of expertise, market yourself better, and tap into your potential clients’ needs!
A word of caution, though – don’t be too picky! Take on as many jobs as you can, keeping in mind the time you want to spend with your family and take for yourself, and don’t turn down smaller opportunities. You never know who may refer your services to their friends or colleagues, or what bigger and better paying decorating jobs may come from the gigs you take on.
Take care of yourself
It’s very common for interior decorators to want to be everything to everyone, and that level of ambition is a great thing! However, burnout is very real, and full-time parents who pursue challenging careers can put their mental and physical health at risk if they’re not careful. We know that spending time with your children is the source of your greatest happiness, and you want to achieve success in your career as well – but we can’t stress enough how important it is to take care of yourself!
Come up with a relaxation ritual that will keep you grounded when your to-do list starts to increase. With a million things on the go, you need to be able to turn to an activity that will help you decompress and unwind. Yoga, meditation, exercise, and even journaling are great ways to take a few moments for yourself and regroup during a stressful week. Once you have this ritual in place, don’t feel guilty about carving out time each day to enjoy it – stepping away and decompressing will actually improve the quality of your work, and your role as a parent.
After all, you can’t pour from an empty cup!